By 2019, half of the companies will offer CYOD programs to their employees

As companies and organizations across all sectors of the economy move forward in the process of digital transformation, mobility strategies become more and more important, with BYOD being the number one driver within these initiatives and general enterprise mobility plans implemented. This is confirmed by a survey conducted by the consulting firm IDC in collaboration with HP on mobility.

According to the data obtained, 24% of organizations show their preference for the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) approach when integrating mobile devices in the company. However, this trend goes a step further. Who chooses these terminals? The company or the worker? At present, 18% of respondents indicated that they already have a CYOD (Choose Your Own Device) model implemented, while 45% stated that it was the company that decided the device to use without the participation of the employees. However, this reality is moving towards a remarkable change.

While the current situation underscores the traditional approach taken by companies that prefer to control IT rather than giving users more flexibility in acquiring new devices, it is also true that there is a growing understanding to allow the employees choose the mobile devices to use. This trend, IDC continues, is confirmed by the finding of multiple CYOD initiatives and programs launched by different companies.

In any case, the growing trend towards mobility is a tangible fact in companies around the world and in all sectors of the economy. For this reason, IDC defines in this study a series of “key ingredients” for the deployment of mobility policies to be successful. These keys include:

• Ensure that the IT department approves all devices accessing corporate networks and data.

• Simplify the acquisition, implementation and management of business-use mobile devices.

• Do not fight the BYOD current, as attempts to slow it down will increase the chances that employees will try to bypass security protocols in order to operate their own terminals.

• Meticulously consider planning, communication, education, implementation and defining key stakeholders within the company, before launching any mobility initiative.